Some people are just the absolute worst. Paris Hilton's friend and fellow socialite Monica Columbeanu adopted a toddler from a local orphanage, only to return him after just one night because he wouldn't stop crying. No me jodas.
Read more ¿Qué más?: Shame on parents who return adopted children
The 26-year-old Romanian celebutante met 3-year-old Alex Gabriele when she visited the Jiu Placement Centre for Orphans in Bucharest during a press trip intended to drum up publicity. She was immediately enamored with the little boy and vowed to adopt him on the spot, promising to give him a life "he will not lack for anything, particularly parental love." Which, as Columbeanu soon found out, is a lot easier said than done. When Columbeanu took the tot home, she soon discovered that (surprise, surprise) the tiny child cried … a lot–as one does when they're a frightened toddler who is made to live with a terrible person who treats children like pound puppies!
"In the evening, when she put him to bed, he began to cry and could not sleep. The next day she took him back to the orphanage," explained Mihaela Cristofor, the Romanian philanthropist who helped arrange the meeting between Alex and his would-be mom. "'The question of adoption was simply stopped at that point because quite simply she didn't want him any more."
She simply did not want him anymore? He's a kid, not an out of season Birkin bag. You can't just return a child because he no longer suits your taste or because he totally clashes with your lifestyle. What Columbeanu did was deplorable. She used this little boy for publicity and quite possibly traumatized him for life. The only silver lining to this entire messed up story is that orphanage saw it fit to halt the adoption proceedings.
Fortunately, both Alex and Columbeanu have moved on. The U.K.'s Daily Mail reports that little Alex is currently preparing for his first year of school and Columbeanu is indulging in intensive retail therapy to get over that one time she didn't get a full eight hours of beauty sleep. UGH!
Image via Corbis